GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY – THE NIGHTMARE QUEEN, from Zenescope Entertainment on 8/9/23, finds Rory Norris confronted with the return of the Nightmare Queen, Carabosse.
The Details
- Written by: Dave Franchini
- Art by: Igor Vitorino, Julius Abrera, Jordi Tarragona
- Colors by: Jorge Cortes
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: August 9, 2023
Is It Good?
GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY – THE NIGHTMARE QUEEN continues Rory Norris’s adventures as the master of the Dreamverse after the events in her one-shot, GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS: SLEEPING BEAUTY. Dave Franchini delivers copious amounts of details surrounding Rory’s life, pain, and regrets about her past when a malevolent threat appears to steal Earth’s future. That said, sometimes less is more, and you may feel your mind wandering more than once while reading this quarterly.
Franchini’s story centers on Rory Norris’s adventures in the Dreamverse when the Nightmare Queen, Carabosse, enlists damaged individuals to aid her in a quest to recover a magical artifact that will allow Carabosse to rule the Dreamverse. Sleeping Beauty must overcome monsters, desperate enemies, and her own hang-ups to stop a Carabosse’s plan.
What’s great about this quarterly? If you wanted to know more about Sleeping Beauty after her debut, this quarterly is a keeper. You get plenty of information about Rory’s family, past and present. You witness Rory’s power and what her abilities allow her to do in the real world as well as the Dreamverse. And the ending sets up a new status quo for the Dreamverse and the titular hero.
What’s not so great about this issue? Franchini’s simple, basic plot didn’t need a quarterly-sized issue to tell. You get a lot of extended conversations, extra scenes, and subplots that don’t go further than providing a page-filling distraction. As a result, the story drags in several spots. Technically, the story is well-executed, but the pacing would have been helped by trimming the story by a third to a half.
How’s the art? The art is great. If you look at the credits above, Zenescope brought in their heaviest hitters for this issue, and the quality shows. The line work, fight choreography, and surreal dream imagery combine for a visually excellent book.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Rory Norris, aka Sleeping Beauty, patrolling the Dreamverse in her new role as dream protector. She encounters a small boy in distress, but he pushes Rory away with immense power before Rory can help him. Rory suddenly wakes up and spends a considerable amount of time reflecting on her life.
Later, Carabosse sens Bria to bring the powerful boy to her. In the physical world, Rory is approached by an aggressive man who insists his art is connected to Rory. Later, Carabosse converts the powerful boy into the Nightmare Lord and sends him into the real world through the body of Rory’s adoptive father, Greg, while Rory is in the Dreamverse.
Carabosse summons Rory and orders Rory to work with Briar to use their power to open a special door that leads to a nightmare prison and a special artifact. If Rory refuses, Carabosse will have the Nightmare Lord kill Rory’s mother. We conclude the issue with more nightmares, big fights, and a new status quo.
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Final Thoughts
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GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY – THE NIGHTMARE QUEEN tells you everything you want to know about Rory Norris while she fights off the evil Nightmare Queen from taking over the Dreamverse. The art is excellent, and the battles are powerful, but the basic plot leads to too-long scenes, too-long conversations, and too much fluff.
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